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Wanamaker and Gibbs guide Pitt past Rider

Dec 5, 2010 - 4:39 AM Pittsburgh, PA (Sports Network) - Brad Wanamaker finished with 16 points and dished out 11 assists as No. 3 Pittsburgh rolled past Rider, 87-68, in the first-ever meeting between the schools at Petersen Events Center.

Ashton Gibbs also had 16 points for the Panthers (9-0), who recorded their 53rd consecutive home win over a non-conference opponent and host Delaware State on Wednesday.

"Brad Wanamaker really stepped up for us with 11 assists and he didn't have a turnover. It was good to have him out there without foul trouble," Pitt head coach Jamie Dixon said.

Dante Taylor posted 12 points, Gilbert Brown added 11 and Gary McGhee pulled down a game-high 10 rebounds.

Mike Ringgold's game-high 24 points wasn't nearly enough for the Broncs (5-4), who suffered their third loss in four games and host UMBC on Wednesday. Justin Robinson and Brandon Penn each scored 11 in the setback.

Rider got off to a 5-0 start, but Pitt responded with a 13-4 burst to go up 13-9 with almost eight minutes played on a Wanamaker jumper. The lead grew to 24-13 after Gibbs drained a trey with less than eight minutes left in the half.

Taylor hit a pair of free throws with under three minutes to play and the Panthers led 37-20. With seconds left before the break, Penn drained a three for Rider then Taylor hit a layup, and it was 42-29 for the home team.

Wanamaker's easy deuce gave Pitt a 57-36 advantage with just over six minutes played in the second half, and Taylor's emphatic slam on the next trip down the court provided the Panthers with a 23-point edge.

Rider was only able to shrink its deficit as low as 16, on a Ringgold layup with 3 1/2 minutes to go for a 79-63 contest. The Panthers quickly re- established the bulge on two from the line by McGhee followed by a Gibbs' three, and cruised home.

"I'm proud of my team. I feel like we came into a tough environment and competed really hard against one of the nation's elite teams," Rider head coach Tom Dempsey said. "I thought we showed a lot of heart and a lot of fight and tried to keep competing for 40 minutes."

Game Notes

Pitt has won the first nine games of its schedule for the eighth time in the last nine seasons...Novar Gadson finished with 10 points and five rebounds for Rider...The Broncs shot 50 percent from the floor in the game, connecting on exactly half of their shots in both halves...The Panthers hit 53.4 percent overall, including 7-of-18 from long range.